Stonewall welcomes YouGov poll finding widespread support for different families

26 March 2013

Stonewall welcomes YouGov poll finding widespread support for different families

A new YouGov poll of over 4,000 people for the University of Lancaster has found that 70 per cent of people consider a same-sex couple in a civil partnership with children as a family and 47 per cent of people consider a same-sex couple in a civil partnership to be a family. The poll found these views don’t vary significantly among people of faith. Among Anglicans, 67 per cent consider a same-sex couple in a civil partnership with children to be a family. The same is true of 66 per cent of Catholics and 72 per cent of Jewish people, while 46 per cent of Catholics, 51 per cent of Baptists and 48 per cent of Jewish people consider a same-sex couple in a civil partnership without children to be a family.

Sam Dick, Stonewall Head of Policy, said: ‘We welcome the findings of this new polling which shows that, contrary to what a number of faith leaders in Britain sometimes suggest, the majority of people of faith recognise the reality and diversity of 21st-century family life. Tens of thousands of children are now growing up with same-sex parents in the UK. Stonewall continue to work with schools across the country to make sure that these young people see their families included in their school work and learning.’

Last year YouGov polling of over 2,000 people for Stonewall’s Living Together report found that three fifths of people of faith (58 per cent) also support the government’s plans to extend the legal form of marriage to same-sex couples.